Bunny Berigan
Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. Although he composed some jazz instrumentals such as "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues", Berigan was best known for his virtuoso jazz trumpeting. His 1937 classic recording "I Can't Get Started" on RCA Victor was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism which ended with his early death at the age of 33 from cirrhosis. His recordings of "I Can't Get Started" on Vocalion and "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" were re-released in 1976 as part of the Columbia Records Hall of Fame series. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Hilbert (village in Calumet County, Wisconsin), Died June 2, 1942 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1931 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet, director, vocalist, arranger, speaker
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 263 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-75671 | 10-in. | 4/20/1933 | Raisin' the rent | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Female vocal solo, with clarinet, trumpet, and 2 pianos | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-75672 | 10-in. | 4/20/1933 | Was my face red | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Female vocal solo, with clarinet, trumpet, and 2 pianos | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-75673 | 10-in. | 4/20/1933 | I've got to sing a torch song | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Female vocal solo, with clarinet, trumpet, and 2 pianos | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-77498 | 10-in. | 8/16/1933 | You excite me! | Ramona | Female vocal solo, with clarinet, trumpet, and piano | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-77503 | 10-in. | 8/16/1933 | Ah! The moon is here! | Ramona | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-78262 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | Not for all the rice in China | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental trio | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-78264 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | I found a new way to go to town | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-78265 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | I'm no angel | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-89794 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Nothin' but the blues | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-89795 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | New Orleans twist | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-89796 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Squareface | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with talk | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-89797 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Dizzy glide | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-92546 | 10-in. | 7/1/1935 | Sometimes I'm happy | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-92547 | 10-in. | 7/1/1935 | King Porter | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-92549 | 10-in. | 7/1/1935 | Jingle bells | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | PBS-97017 | 10-in. | 9/27/1935 | Madhouse | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | MS-102942 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately early June 1936 | Take my word | Bunny Berigan Studio Orchestra ; Peggy Lawson | Jazz/dance band and female vocal soloist | instrumentalist, trumpet, director | |
| Victor | MS-102943 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately early June 1936 | But definitely | Bunny Berigan Studio Orchestra ; Peggy Lawson | Jazz/dance band and female vocal soloist | instrumentalist, trumpet, director | |
| Victor | MS-102944 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately early June 1936 | On your toes | Bunny Berigan Studio Orchestra | Jazz/dance band and vocal soloists | instrumentalist, trumpet, director | |
| Victor | MS-102945 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately early June 1936 | I can pull a rabbit out of a hat | Bunny Berigan Studio Orchestra | Jazz/dance band and vocal soloists | instrumentalist, trumpet, director | |
| Victor | MS-102946 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately early June 1936 | You're not the kind | Bunny Berigan Studio Orchestra | Jazz/dance band and vocal soloists | instrumentalist, trumpet, director | |
| Victor | BS-102977 | 10-in. | 7/27/1936 | Me and the moon | Stuart Allen ; Richard Himber ; Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and trumpet solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-03898 | 10-in. | 1/7/1937 | The "goona goo" | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-03899 | 10-in. | 1/7/1937 | If my heart could only talk | Jack Leonard ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trumpet | |
| Victor | BS-03989 | 10-in. | 1/19/1937 | Who'll buy my violets | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Berigan, Bunny," accessed January 5, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/353004.
Berigan, Bunny. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/353004.
"Berigan, Bunny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 5 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bunny Berigan
Discogs: Bunny Berigan
Allmusic: Bunny Berigan
Grove: Bunny Berigan
IMDb: Bunny Berigan
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Berigan, Bunny, 1908-1942 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81131525
Wikidata: Bunny Berigan - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q491100
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/19864550
MusicBrainz: Bunny Berigan - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0d99a768-4878-4d40-a264-205e7fe5d20a
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/82190 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/82190
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